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Sunday, September 22, 2013

How to Straighten a Synthetic Wig Using the Hot Water Method | Daily Style Post

Hey guys! Today I want to do something a little different. Tutorial time!

A few months ago, I decided that I wanted to straighten my red Empress wig from Rockstar Wigs. Having always relied on my flat iron, I sat down to watch a movie and straighten a super curly wig on low heat. For this method, you need a hair straightener and more patience than I have.

After nearly two hours, it looked like this:

Not bad, but not as straight as I had wanted. I would hold the straightener on the ends as long as I dared and they still curled despite my efforts. When straightening high temp synthetic wigs (like wigs from Gothic Lolita Wigs and RockStar Wigs), you have to be really careful not to melt the fibers because there is no way to get them back once they are damaged from heat.

Fast forward to September. I pulled my Empress wig out of the bag that I store it in and... Wtf! It's curly again!!! Noooo! So much effort wasted! How is this even possible?!

Time to try another method. I had always heard of the hot water method but had never tried it myself. Now I will never straighten any other way. It is soooo easy!

First, grab a tripod or some sort of stand that you will be able to attach your foam head to that will allow your wig to hang completely straight when wet. When I thought of using my regular tripod, I got nervous about drenching it in hot water. However, being a photographer, I fortunately have spare tripods laying around. I picked my cheapest tripod (I think it was like $15USD) for my hot water tester tripod. I'm sure the water wouldn't damage a tripod but I didn't want to take the risk with my nicer one.

Turn the handle of the tripod straight up. It conveniently fits a foam head perfectly and securely. Insert the head onto the handle.

Put the wig on the head. Attach with pins so it doesn't slide off the head during the process. Brush all the knots out of the wig with a wig brush or wide-toothed comb.

Put the tripod and wig in the bathtub. You'll be drenching the thing so you'll want to have it somewhere safe for water.

Fill a pot (or kettle, if you live somewhere that people have kettles XD) with water and put it on the stove. You'll want to keep an eye on it so the water gets hot, but not so hot that you will completely melt the wig. Between 180℉ and 185 is a good temperature.

I'm using a meat thermometer because I don't have a regular thermometer hahah.. Not even sure why I have this. I've been a vegetarian for ten years. Hahaha.. >.<

Once the water is at the ideal heat, say your final goodbye to your wig's curls.

You want to make sure the wig is completely soaked. It would be fine to just start with pouring the water over the top of the wig, but I quickly dipped the ends in the water and swished it around really fast to make sure they got wet. This particular wig style has two long pieces that are much longer than the rest of the wig, so that was a precaution I took to ensure the pieces got wet.

Then you just pour the water over the top of the wig and watch the magic happen. The heat allows the fibers to be reshaped right before your eyes. Remember, the wig must hang completely straight for the wig to dry straight. It may take a few pots to get the wig completely soaked. I think I heated and poured three pots for this wig.

Never brush a wig when it's wet!!! You can mess up the fibers.

Then you just leave it alone and let it dry for a few hours. Allow the wig to dry fully before taking it off the stand. You don't want to risk messing it up because you're impatient. Maybe you can watch a movie or go get ice cream while you wait. :3

And then.... You revisit your wig a few hours later..... And behold... The straight beauty....

!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's soooo pretty when it's straight!!! The layers! They are amazing! It's like a totally different and new wig.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and Daily Style post! Are you going to straighten your wigs with the hot water method? I'd love to see your straight wigs in the comments or on my facebook page! xoxoxo